Monday, August 10, 2015

Today opened with Becky calling Austin up to let him know that Vanessa would be going on the block in Steve's place. Becky made sure to let Austin know that this has been her plan from the start, and gave her huge list of reasons why she wants Vanessa to leave.

Austin apparently really believed that Becky would nominate Johnny Mac, to ensure that Shelli would go home. Becky tells Austin that it's okay with her if he tells Vanessa that he had no idea about any of this.

Austin: Is that okay? Can we do that?

Becky got called to the DR but she kept right on talking to Austin while she got ready. They really got rid of the privacy in that HoH bathroom, didn't they? Not only do they not have a door to the main area, but the wall itself has all of those cut-outs allowing you to see right through.

Meg is excited about today, but is frightened, too. She apparently thinks Vanessa is going to blow a gasket when she finds out she is on the block, and has been lied to all week about Becky's plans.

Liz makes a big deal about how dressed up Steve is today, and goes over to roll up his sleeves for him. She is his Official Sleeve Roller, Steve says.

Butch Jackie.

This picture is crazy, right?

Liz gave Julia a hard time about the back of this shirt. She told her that the top is meant to be a cover-up for a bikini, and that if she wears it like that it could create a scandal for CBS.

When the live feeds came back after the PoV ceremony, Vanessa laid in bed, talking to Shelli. She was a little shaky, but was already alternating from wanting to cry, and wanting answers. She wanted to know if Shelli knew about this, and Shelli swore that she didn't.

But Vanessa kept asking questions about what conversations were held, when they were held, and who was in the room. If Shelli was smart, she would cut this off now, because Shelli did know Vanessa was going to be blindsided and it's only a matter of time before Vanessa figures that out.

Shelli went on and on making the case that Vanessa is the last person in the house that she would ever want to sit on the block with, so why would she want this?

In Becky's speech, she referred to people who are close to Vanessa that apparently don't trust her or want her gone. Shelli says she has no idea what Becky was referring to, and that the speech had nothing to do with her.

Vanessa: So you know about it?

Shelli: No, I didn't!

Vanessa says that Becky is a huge hypocrite, and by the time she's done, everyone will know what that means. She also has something to tell Shelli, but she can't tell her until later, in Jury.

Shelli: What....you can't tell me?

Vanessa: I just know what happened....

She finally whispers that the DR wants Johnny Mac to stay, and this is one reason why they woke everyone up so early for the PoV ceremony.

Vanessa: I knew this morning it was going to be a blindside, because they woke us up early the last time, too. (Jason) They don't want anyone to have time to change their mind.

Vanessa: The Twins knew about it...I could tell. Did you see how no one wanted to sit next to me in the backyard while we were waiting to come inside to start?

Shelli: Yeah. There was that perfect little empty spot next to you that I came over to sit on.

Shelli tells her that last week, when she was nominated, she could tell the Twins knew about it beforehand.

Shelli: I think they were scared...and scared to tell me. I understood.

Steve came in and made a big production of sitting down and breathing loudly. After several seconds of silence, Vanessa asked what he wanted.

Steve: I just came in to see how you are.

Vanessa, sarcastically: Great.

Up in the HoH Becky is still holding the floor, and talking, and talking, rehashing the speech she just made. She is super happy and smug about her accomplishment today. This is the New Becky, and no one gets in her way.

Back downstairs, the reality is starting to sink in, and Vanessa really just wants to cry now, I think.

Vanessa: Sometimes I wish I wasn't smart, and didn't know things.

But she says that she has been through worse things in her life...MUCH worse, and if she puts this in perspective, it is small, very small. At some point Shelli told her that the week isn't over...they both have time to discuss the situation with all of the house guests, and anything could happen.

The AusTwins came in to offer their support. Vanessa asked them what they knew, and they all said they didn't know this would happen.

Vanessa doesn't understand why Becky did that, and what her speech meant.

Austin: She has a whole list of reasons why...

Vanessa: So you knew?

Austin: No, I just went up there after the meeting and she told me.

Austin proceeded to tell her about how that week that Jason went up was so hard on Becky.

(Note: Clusterfuck Step #1 on this post is the exact moment that Vanessa started losing BB17. Not that I think that Austin leaving would have been the best thing for her game, but that is the moment she let paranoia dictate her decisions. And that is never a good thing.)

Vanessa thanked Shelli for being the first one to come in and comfort her. That means a lot, she says.

Vanessa: But I am going to fight hard to stay with logical arguments, but Shelli I will not say one bad thing about you.

Shelli nods. She understands.

Everyone left but Julia, who told Vanessa that she and her sister would vote to keep Vanessa, but she didn't want to say that in front of Shelli.

Julia: What about Johnny Mac? Can you try him?

Vanessa: I can, but I don't think I have much of a chance there. I might try James, though.

Julia: Because why would James want to keep Shelli, when she's coming after him for getting rid of Clay?

Vanessa thought about this argument...it's a good one.

In the kitchen Johnny Mac is enjoying a sandwich on the Have Not buns. Austin tells the group that Steve is "isolating in the Hammock Room".

So of course, the cameras show Steve, who is laying on the floor of the Hammock Room. He hears the camera spin and looks up at us.

Steve: I know I'm riding a fine line here. Becky's speech could just as well have been about me, but I'm just better at hiding what I'm doing than Vanessa is.

Steve: I'm throwing the next HoH. I don't need to win. They will go for Shelli or the AusTwins before they come for me.

(Will they? I'm not so sure about that...)

Yes, Steve is laying on the floor.

Vanessa walked through the house looking for Becky, and found her outside and sat down for a chat. Vanessa wanted to know why Becky did that...why did she lie to her about putting her up as late as last night, and what did she mean in her speech? Vanessa wanted answers.

And Becky was angry in her answer, saying she would say one thing, and that was all Vanessa would be getting. She started off by asking Vanessa what her (Becky's ) face looked like when Vanessa told her Jason was going on the block. Vanessa was stumped by this question, so Becky told her that she was PISSED, and that Vanessa FORCED her into accepting that decision.

Becky: And when you POINTED AT ME in front of a ROOMFUL OF PEOPLE what was I supposed to say? I just had to go along with it, and it was HARD ON ME.

Really, Becky might have a list of logical arguments for nominating Vanessa, but her explanation here seemed really personal and rooted in the past, not the many things Vanessa has done in just the past week to create distrust.

Becky got up and stormed across the backyard and closed the sliding door behind her, leaving Vanessa sitting on the couch saying she just wanted to know why....

You will see the next scene on the CBS show. Vanessa went right into the Have Not room and found The Goblins napping, all wearing shades in an attempt to sleep in the bright room. Vanessa started complaining about Becky, and told all of them that Becky did know about Jason going on the block.

Meg: Yeah, we all know that. Becky told us.

Then Vanessa told them about the alliance that Becky created, called The Generals, and how she wanted to target James first, saying that she wasn't comfortable with that side of the house. James thought the name The Generals was funny, and it reminded all of them of the cartoon insurance company character.

Maybe we can sign up The Generals as a sponsor, James said later. The Goblins have been laughing about how stupid a name like "The Generals" is ever since. But it's true....I actually heard Becky tell Vanessa how as a leader, you don't need to tell everyone everything..just a few generals, and everyone else will only know what they need to know.

After Vanessa left, Becky came in to gloat, as you can see by her picture below. She also went and got a blanket to put over her head like Audrey, which was pretty funny. Meg thinks it is funny that all of them wore their shades during that entire confrontation, and James had on that stupid kitty cap.

Austin and Liz think there is no way to save Vanessa, but at this point they still plan to vote for her.

Austin: Becky said we can vote however we want, because she has four votes already, and will break the tie herself.

(So, Becky tells Austin how to vote now? Really?)

Later Becky sat outside and talked....and talked.....and talked..... you literally can't shut her up. She talked about how she was hired in as management at Victoria's Secret but quit after six months, even after all of the training she received about bras and bra fitting.

Becky: It took 10 hours. Literally 10 hours to learn about the bras.

Becky said she shouldn't have left Abercrombie to go to a different company so soon after her accident, because it is so stressful to open a new store in the first place, much less a new concept by a different employer.. Becky had been hired to open "Pink" which is apparently a new VS concept targeted towards younger customers.

Becky says the higher up you go in retail, the more single, childless employees there are in management. She would like a new career in a field that would let her be "an awesome mother".

Becky also feels that America voted to give them the inflatable shark because of her. Becky says that there was a similar one in the backyard during one of the Gronk parties, and she claims she said over and over that she wanted to keep the shark.

Becky And you know how they listen to everything...and now that I'm HoH they gave it to us!

In the early evening hours, all was quiet, except the Twins, who were busy in the kitchen. You could hear them laughing and performing their Twin Speak all the way down the hall.

In the Have Not room, Meg and James were sleeping, and were joined by Jackie, who says she's bored.

James is snoring the the two girls snicker about it. He's going to be up all night, they say.

In the kitchen Becky is giving everyone advice about their diets, and everyone is hanging on every word. Because Becky has the power, you know, right up until she nominates Vanessa on Monday. After that, Becky's status will go right back to everyone else's, except she's the only one who can't play for HoH during the live double eviction.

All I know is that Meg will not be evicted in the 2nd spot this week. No way. I think Becky or Steve will get the boot after Vanessa does, but that really depends on who is HoH, now doesn't it?

I actually don't see Shelli being a target yet, either. So far she's handling this situation very well. So kudos to Shelli, who is right back in this thing.

Basically Becky is telling everyone about her healthy eating habits, and how she gave up burgers and that sort of thing, and would never eat them now. She won't even eat ketchup now, because that reminds her of burgers and it sounds like she had a hard time quitting them.

Austin is enjoying this conversation, or appears to be enjoying it, since he considers himself a risk for nomination this week. He says cinnamon is a big part of his diet plan, since it tricks you into thinking you are eating something else.

Becky can top that. She says that cinnamon is particularly good "for women".

Liz, feigning fascination: Oh! Really-ah!

They sit down to eat and are very excited about the broccoli dish they made. They say it tastes so fresh and delicious and love the addition of cashews, which was Austin's idea. Liz says she would never have thought about adding the cashews, but loves it now. They are happy that Shelli took the time yesterday to separate the nuts for them.

(So, has anyone ever left cashews on the table or in the bowl? Isn't that the most decadent and delicious nut? And one of the most expensive?)

The Twins say it is cold outside, so Becky gives them a short class about humidity, and how it impacts the temperature. Becky really is an expert about so many things.

The Twins don't like dark chocolate, and prefer milk chocolate. Austin just can't understand it but Liz says she heard that as you get older, you like dark chocolate more.

Austin: I think that's more a reflection of expanding your palate, rather than age.

Becky did not comment on this, to correct anyone or to set them straight. I can only assume that she had left the room for a moment.

There is a lot of fish in the storage room---salmon, halibut. Liz wants to find some new ways to enjoy salmon, and is getting tired of the usual baked recipe.

(Anyone who watched the BB16 live feeds might immediately recall Frankie obsessively making fish salad last year...every damn day. So let's all cringe as we remember Frankie's fish salads, and of course his horrific table manners and his bold badmouthing of Donny Thompson. In fact, this might be the moment that Frankie lost the America's Favorite Player vote, because those Donny fans were the ones who drove that vote...)

Shelli stabbed at her plate and ate quietly. Vanessa had just walked through the kitchen asking where Becky was, so maybe she was worried about that.

Austin reports that Ziploc has been added as a sponsor for their "show".

Austin: Ziploc....the freshness you can see and feel.

Steve had a dream about one of the BB producers sitting in the hot tub, but everyone tells him he can't talk about it.

Becky: No..don't say it. We will get buzzed for that.

Steve made scrambled eggs (ugh) with basil and mozzerella cheese. They commented on Steve's recent healthy eating habits, and he says he is "trying to look good for Julia".

Julia is sitting right there, of course, and says she saw him winking at her. But I think Steve is serious---he has mentioned to Johnny Mac and Vanessa several times this summer that he plans to pursue Julia if they are in Jury together.

(Only with a hankie doused with Cloroform would Steve have a chance with Julia...)

Steve shares that his mother never cooks---she is the one who worked outside the home, and his father was the "housewife", staying home during the day and doing most of the cooking.

Austin and Liz were sitting in the bedroom while she folded her laundry. Steve came in and made a comment to the effect that he had no idea what Becky will do after the PoV is played.

Austin told him that he is pretty sure that Becky will put Johnny Mac up to make sure "you know who" goes home. Steve pretended to believe that, although he knows what the truth is.

After he left Liz said that Vanessa is "getting to be too much", and is upset that Austin went to talk to Becky after Vanessa told him to.

Austin reports that he had a nice chat with Becky, and assured her he would vote to keep Johnny safe.

Austin: She's so paranoid, though, but she's safe. She'll see that she has nothing to worry about.

(Uh....no.)

Liz: Well when she asks you to do something else, just say you did it, but don't do it. She's really getting nutso. She came in the bathroom to talk to Julia and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. She thinks you owe her but you don't.

They went outside to play pool and join the other house guests. Shelli is telling everyone that they should all share the risk by each taking a bite of Audrey's face.

(i.e. her fondant face from the halfway party cake)

Julia has promised not to call Steve "Sneaky Steve" and everyone says that he hates that nickname.

(But they all agree that Steve is sneaky. Becky went off the other night with Jackie and Meg about how fast Steve did that PoV comp, and how he needs to leave because they won't be able to beat him in some of the upcoming competitions.)

(But people say that about Becky, too.)

Johnny lays as far away as he can get form Shelli on that round outdoor sofa. Maybe he thinks Clay is at home watching the live feeds.

Shelli says her family has never watched Big Brother before, but she is sure her mom has been watching her on the live feeds, "particularly after last week".

Her family is scattered around the US---with siblings in Denver, Knoxville, Nashville and Atlanta.

They mentioned seeing Cody wearing a Temple T-shirt last year on the show. Shelli knows that Cody was 22 last summer, so they think he might have gone to college at Temple. (He did.)

John: The med school is a few miles away from the regular college, but I never went there once in the four years I was there, so I wouldn't have seen him. It's kind of in a sketchy area.

Shelli is shocked.

John: Yeah, you could get stabbed or something...it's not safe. There was a guy who got stabbed just walking along with his cellphone. We heard gunshots in class one time.

Shelli is even more shocked.

Vanessa is walking around with her Hugh Hefner look pajamas, and approaches Austin to give him some advice, based on her "read".

I think we were all tensed up and expecting the worst here, but it was advice about his love for Liz. Vanessa reports that Liz likes guys who are more hard-to-get, and Austin is too needy for Liz's tastes.

Austin: Yeah...and I've been working on that.

He reports that he hung out with James last night, and Liz came up and asked him why he wasn't hanging around her, so the plan must be working.

While this conversation was taking place, James came in the bathroom and opened the WC door while Jackie was in there. This created some commotion that quickly died down. When Jackie came out of the WC she asked them if everything was okay.

Vanessa assured her that it was, and told her she was giving Austin advice on his relationship with Liz.

Vanessa: It's like my mother told me when I was in the third grade. I liked a boy who didn't like me, so she told me that when you pursue them, they go away. But if you go the other direction, they follow you.

Austin: Yeah. I see that.

Vanessa: Just be yourself, but be aware. That's all.

In the Have Not room, Jackie listened to Becky announce her plans for the PoV speech she will make before nominating Vanessa. She plans to go ahead and announce that she knew Jason would be nominated, and cop to that and a few other things she lied about, to take the power of disclosing that away from Vanessa.

Becky: It's going to be long...so I guess they will have to edit it for TV.

Jackie worries that the Twins will feel betrayed about not knowing, and they strategize about the best time to talk to them about it. Becky might pull them aside right after the meeting to explain herself. Neither of them want the Twins coming after them next.

Right in the middle of their conversation, Vanessa came in to get something and it was awkward. After she left Becky made a face and they both smirked.

Meg and James are in the kitchen whipping up some slop. They are out of barbeque sauce and think that Production is too slow replacing condiments that they run out of.

Meg says she's not missing eating the normal food as much as she thought she would.

Meg: The food here is good, but it's not great. I'm more bothered by the dentist chairs.

James: I'm more bothered about the cold showers.

Becky conducted another class about the organic ketchup that Meg likes. She says she would never eat that, because it is so "heavily processed", and that the sugar content wasn't too bad.

But Meg had just expressed excitement over choosing the organic ketchup over the regular kind, because the regular variety was just too sweet for her. I guess that's the last healthy choice Meg will make and discuss with Becky.

Because Becky just shit all over it.

Becky again discussed what the Twins will know, and when they will know it. Meg has been worried about that, too.

The Twins baked cookies and Shelli and Austin enjoyed them warm with ice cream. Liz ate "like, five of them" before she had to step away and stop herself.

From on high, Becky addressed her subjects, announcing her plans for the rest of her evening.

We actually don't get to see the lights in the ceiling very often, so this is indeed a special moment in Becky Burgess' HoH Reign.

Wow. This is the tastiest looking picture ever.

I have a tip, but I didn't run it by Becky first, so she might not agree.----S'mores are even more delicious if you smear peanut butter on the inside of at least one of the graham crackers.